This invention relates to means for circulating alcohol within an absorption refrigeration system.
Alcohol is added to the working fluids employed in many absorption refrigeration systems to achieve a level of performance that is substantially greater than normally attainable in a conventional system employing a refrigerant-solution combination. The exact mechanism by which this gain is attained is not, as yet, fully understood. However, the effect of alcohol upon the system can be dramatically demonstrated in practice.
The gain that is realized by the use of alcohol in the working fluids of the system is generally lost over a period of time. It is believed that the alcohol stagnates in certain parts of the system and, as the process continues, less alcohol becomes available to enhance performance. It has heretofore been the practice to correct the system by simply adding more alcohol to the working fluids when the system performance falls below some predetermined value. This practice, however, has never been found to be satisfactory in that it requires a continuous monitoring of the system, results in an unwanted buildup of alcohol within the equipment, and produces undesirable variations in the overall performance of the system.